Chapter 434: Music of Steel
Chapter 432
Looking down, Jack saw gaping holes materializing across his side, thigh, and shoulder, causing his body to plummet toward the earth.
Orvak landed casually atop the dead body of an Abberant.
A sinister grin slowly appeared across his face.
Jack slammed one hand against the ground, using the force to slowly push himself upright.
His teeth ground against one another as he glared in Orvak’s direction.
His axe lay a foot away from him, having slipped from his hands when the attack struck.
’Wh-What was that? I couldn’t see it coming. An invisible attack?’
Orvak lifted one finger toward him and shrugged.
The Abberant’s arm began swelling, the distortion traveling down its limb until it reached his fingertip.
"You were fun while you lasted. But since you refused to go all out, I just have to end this now. We still have to complete our task."
Bang—!
Bang—!
"Kuh... Kuh...."
Another invisible attack smashed into Jack’s left shoulder, tearing another gaping hole through it.
A second shot struck his thigh.
"Hm? Is my target off?"
Orvak shrugged once more.
The Abberant simply grinned before pointing his finger forward again.
"Doesn’t matter. I’ll get it right this time."
Jack gnashed his teeth as blood flowed freely from his wounds.
His eyes flickered toward his axe.
Then back toward Orvak.
’No. It’s not invisible.’
His eyes narrowed.
’I was right. This is the same Abberant that forced the first Meta-humans to gang up together. The attack isn’t invisible. I just have to focus.’
Bang—!
Jack swiftly pushed himself off the ground at that exact moment.
A split second later, a hole tore through the space where he had been standing.
He rolled across the ground, his fingers wrapping around the shaft of his axe just in time.
Orvak pointed his finger again.
Another shot was released.
Jack vanished from the spot before it could reach him.
"Hm. You can still move?"
The Abberant rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stared at the spot where Jack had been moments ago.
Then—
The creature darted forward like an arrow.
A heartbeat later, Jack’s axe descended toward the corpse of the Six-Spined Abberant Orvak had been standing on.
The divine axe cleaved through the massive body like a hot knife through butter.
Bang!
Bang!
Jack’s hands snapped into motion.
His axe swung through the air, batting away the incoming compressed-energy blasts.
"Oh? You can see it?"
Jack gripped his axe properly and shifted into a stance.
Blood continued seeping from his wounds.
He didn’t care.
"A compressed energy blast that comes from your own blood," Jack said, his eyes locked firmly on Orvak. "I can’t see it. But I can feel it now."
BOOOM—!
Jack erupted from where he stood.
The ground beneath his feet cracked and pushed backward as he launched himself toward the Abberant.
His axe swung through the air with masterful precision as he rapidly closed the distance.
"Tch. No fun."
Orvak scoffed.
Then vanished from where he stood.
Jack halted abruptly.
His body twisted around.
His axe cracked through the air.
CLANG!
The weapon collided with Orvak’s claws, sending a fierce rain of yellow sparks flying between them.
The ground shuddered beneath their feet.
Then—
It exploded.
The duo erupted into a blur of motion.
Claws and axe collided repeatedly, each impact producing a deafening metallic ring that echoed throughout the battlefield like the furious music of steel.
Jack ducked beneath a claw slash.
His axe immediately swept upward, aiming to cleave the Abberant’s body open.
Orvak firmly leaped backward.
His body crossed twenty metres in a flash.
Jack swung his axe several times through the air.
A white-hot crescent slash tore forward.
Orvak leaped to the side at the last possible moment.
The slash ripped through the body of another dead Abberant behind him before consuming the corpse in a storm of white flames.
The moment Orvak’s feet touched the ground, Jack hurled his axe forward.
A gigantic white slash erupted from the weapon and tore through the air toward the Six-Spined Abberant.
The edges of the attack tore deep grooves into the earth as it raced toward its target.
Orvak simply moved his fingers.
A dozen Abberant corpses suddenly rushed toward him before piling together and forming a wall directly in front of him.
The slash crashed into the makeshift barrier.
BOOOOM!
More than half of the corpses were instantly consumed by crackling white flames.
Jack materialized before the remaining bodies.
His axe descended like a judgmental blade from the heavens, cleaving through the corpses and tearing them apart.
The destruction revealed a surprised Orvak behind them.
The Abberant was stunned for only a split second.
Then his instincts kicked in.
His tail shot forward.
BANG!
Jack immediately dashed to the side, narrowly avoiding another invisible blast.
Orvak launched himself into the air.
His hands pointed downward.
So did his tail.
Then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thunderous bangs rolled across the entire Shelter as compressed energy blasts rained down upon the world below.
Jack had no choice but to move.
His speed was already far beyond what even a Meta-human with the Super Speed Ability could achieve.
He sprinted across the battlefield with his axe trailing behind him.
Buildings became obstacles.
Debris became projectiles.
Death waited in every direction.
Jack weaved between two buildings just as a barrage of energy slammed into them.
BOOOM!
Chunks of concrete and steel were blasted from their foundations, raining down around him.
Above it all, Orvak hovered in the air, seemingly defying gravity as he continued raining down his attacks.
Jack weaved.
Dodged.
Changed direction.
Every movement came down to instinct.
Dashing through the window of a bus, Jack burst out through the opposite side.
A split second later—
BOOOM!
The vehicle erupted in flames behind him.
Jack slid across the ground.
His boots scraped against the earth as he came to a stop.
Then he swung his axe twice.
Two burning white crescents tore through the air toward Orvak.
The Abberant tilted his head to the side.
Then the other.
Both slashes passed harmlessly by him.
The rain of energy blasts ceased.
For a brief moment, silence descended upon the battlefield.
Jack’s eyes narrowed.
BOOOM!
He launched himself into the air with explosive force, cutting through the sky like a broken arrow.
In an instant, he flashed directly in front of the Abberant.
His axe came racing from the side with tremendous speed.
Orvak reacted instantly.
He leaped backward, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The axe cleaved through empty air.
A thunderous quake erupted from the sheer force of the swing.
And from there—
The battle became a blur.
Claws rang against steel in a rain of sparks.
The atmosphere shuddered around them.
Quakes rippled outward as the duo danced through the air.
Gravity and physics seemed to have little meaning to either of them anymore.
Jack’s lean frame twisted and weaved through a flurry of divine slashes, each one aimed at a vital point.
Orvak avoided them with savage grace.
Every movement was precise.
Every dodge came within inches of death.
A tail stabbed toward Jack.
He sidestepped it.
Then lifted one foot.
For a fraction of a second, his body seemed to vanish.
Orvak’s eyes widened.
Jack appeared directly behind him.
The Abberant immediately twirled around, claws raised and ready to intercept the incoming attack.
But there was nothing.
His eyes widened.
His spines suddenly vibrated.
Too late.
Tchaaaaak!
BOOOM—!
Jack’s axe slammed into Orvak’s back with ear-splitting force.
The impact drove the Abberant downward like a meteor.
His massive body crashed into the earth.
BOOOOM!
A thick blanket of dust erupted outward, swallowing the impact site and shrouding Orvak’s body from view.